WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington state lawmakers are backing a bid by Boeing for more time to bid on a $35 billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force.

Sen. Maria Cantwell says more time should be given to guarantee that all the bidders can provide the Air Force with the best possible options. The tanker contract is a large procurement and the current schedule - with bids expected by October - is inadequate, Cantwell says.

Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., said it would be unfair for the Pentagon to conduct a competition for a larger tanker than it initially sought without allowing adequate time for Boeing to prepare a revised proposal. These planes will be in the fleet for up to 60 years, and it is more important to make the right decision than to select a bidder by the end of the year, as Pentagon officials hope, Dicks says.

Boeing has supplied refueling tankers to the Air Force for decades. It has proposed building the new tankers, based on its 767 jetliners, in Everett.